1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector mating structure, particularly to a mating structure for connecting a connector that is mounted on a pillar trim for an electrical circuit provided in a car pillar portion to another connector provided in a car body side. The connector mating can be completed simultaneously with securing the pillar trim to the car body.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 8 shows a conventional connector mating structure used in a wiring harness located around a car pillar.
In relation to the structure, on a front pillar 41 of the car is disposed a wiring harness 42. The wiring harness 42 extends to the middle of the car roof 43 at the upper side end thereof. Each end of the wiring harness 42 has a connector 44 or 45 that will mate with an associated opposing connector (not shown). After the mating of the connectors, a pillar trim or furnishing (not shown) made of a synthetic resin will be fitted to the pillar 41 to cover the wiring harness 42.
However, the conventional structure requires to mount the wiring harness 42 before attachment of the pillar trim, in which a more efficient mounting step thereof would be expected. Furthermore, since the mating work of the connectors 44, 45 is done in a narrow space of the car cabin, there is a possibility of incomplete mating of the connectors 44, 45.
To eliminate the disadvantage, the applicant of the present invention proposed previously another connector mating structure for a wiring harness disposed around a car pillar, which is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.
In this structure, as shown in FIG. 9, a pillar trim 46 made of a synthetic resin is fitted with a wiring harness 47. Each end of the wiring harness 47 has a connector 48 or 49 extending respectively from one of upper and lower ends of the pillar trim 46. At the same time, another roof trim 51 is fitted with a roof side wiring harness 52. One end of the wiring harness 52 has a connector 53 extending from a periphery of the roof trim 51. When the pillar trim 46 is attached to a car front pillar 50, the roof trim 51 is also fitted to the car roof, in which the connectors 48, 53 of the wiring harnesses 47, 52 are manually coupled to each other. Denoted 54 in FIG. 9 is a soft sticky tape for securing the wiring harnesses, and denoted 55 is an opening for mounting an auxiliary instrument.
As shown in FIG. 10, the pillar side wiring harness 47 connects with wiring harnesses 56 to 58 arranged in a roof side instrument panel or in a door through the connector 48 or 49. In the roof, there are mounted a room lamp unit and a roof window actuating unit. In the instrument panel, there are arranged a meter unit, and in the door, there are assembled such auxiliary units as a power window motor, a door mirror actuating motor, and a switch unit. A wiring harness 57 arranged in the instrument panel leads to a battery. Thereby, the pillar side wiring harness 47 supplies electric energy to the roof side auxiliary units, and the switch unit disposed in the door side can operate to open and dose the roof window.